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Tag: Surf Excel

  • Ad execs voice opinion on call to boycott Surf Excel’s Holi campaign

    Ad execs voice opinion on call to boycott Surf Excel’s Holi campaign

    MUMBAI: Brand Surf Excel has been known for its string of heart-warming advertisements that say ‘Kuch Accha Karte Hue Agar Daag Lag Jayein Toh Daag Acche Hain’. Be it Ramadan, Holi, or Diwali, the brand always has something interesting to offer the viewers in terms of a beautiful narrative promoting unity, most of the times with kids as the anchor.

    This Holi as well, the brand came up its ‘Rang Laaye Sang’ campaign with a video ad that shows a little girl helping a Muslim boy reach the mosque without getting the colours on his cloth. In the end, she also quips that he will have to play with colours once he is done with praying. While the ad impressed a lot of people, a certain section did not like the narrative, which allegedly was against the Hindu sentiments.

    The ad is drawing a lot of backlash on social media, with #BoycottSurfExcel trending on Twitter over the weekend.

    However, there has been immense support pouring in for the brand as well. Vasan Bala, the director who is a part of the team that has made the ad, took to Twitter to share his pride on the support they have received for the ad.

    Speaking about the ad and the backlash it is facing, communications consultant on digital/social media marketing and PR Karthik Shrinivasan said, “In the social media space, everything is a conversation because big brands and people are merely part of the stream of conversations.”

    Sharing his own views on the ad, Shrinivasan quipped, “I thought the new Surf Excel ad was a lovely piece of work by Lowe Lintas. It made me smile at the ingenuity of the little girl who helps her little friend, while also tearing up a bit at the innocence with which children look at each other, beyond the differences we adults create among ourselves. Surf Excel has been doing similar ads using festivals as a backdrop, even in Pakistan (done by Lowe Lintas India). The connecting link is, of course, Daag Achche Hai.”

    He further added, “I do not understand the pointless objections and controversy over the ad. If someone wants to see the ad from their Hindu lens, then doesn’t the ad show the girl (presumably a Hindu) as a brave, intelligent, magnanimous and quick-witted child? It shows her as a fantastic human being. That’s worth lauding if you care deeply about Hindu sentiments, I presume.”

    Shrinivasan concluded, “The other objection is that they show Holi colours as daag and that somehow is insulting Hinduism. I do not understand this either. Holi may be a Hindu festival but it is not a pan-Indian festival. For South Indians, Holi colours are nothing but daag simply because they do not celebrate Holi. I won’t even venture into addressing the love-jihad angle given we are talking about children and that argument is way too disgusting and demeaning to even refer to.”

    Brand-nomics managing director Viren Razdan also reflected the same sentiments as he said, “Adding a ‘human touch’ to dirt has been a continuing theme of the ‘Daag Ache Hain’ campaign. This ad too sits pretty much in the centre of this platform. Holi has on one hand been a celebration of the spirit of togetherness, its brash aggressive play being its hallmark – this story adds a layer of being sensitive and respectful, of course till you hug them with Holi.”

    Logicserve Digital co-founder and CEO Prasad Shejale, however, feels that marketers need to be cautious about the sensitive issues like religion and politics while designing their campaigns. He said, “A well-intended campaign can be seen in a different light as well, the negativity can spread rapidly with the use of social media. The unintended consequence of a well-intentioned idea can actually lead to brand erosion. Gone are the days when we could say that ‘any news is good news’. With multiple conversations across several platforms, all happening in real time, the perceptions of individuals are most fragile/easily malleable. Brands need to be aware of this and strategise their campaigns considering all the factors and without diverting themselves from the core brand values.”

    He added, “HUL, known for its heart-warming campaigns, tried to accomplish something similar with a well-intention-led advertisement for Holi. In what has become a habitual trend on social media, the advertisement was seen in poor light, essentially blowing a non-issue out of proportion.”

    Despite all this, a number of celebs and public figures also stood in support of the campaign. Here are a few tweets that have come up to support the campaign:

  • Surf Excel adds a hue of goodness to the colours of Holi with #RangLaayeSang

    Surf Excel adds a hue of goodness to the colours of Holi with #RangLaayeSang

    MUMBAI: Surf Excel has released its latest campaign #RangLaayeSang for the colourful season of Holi. Conceived by Lowe Lintas Mumbai, the campaign speaks about communal harmony in a simple yet delightful manner, adding a hue of goodness to the festival.

    The campaign intends to stay true to the essence of Holi by sending out a message of bringing people together, and shows how colours can be an equaliser in our society. The campaign film, which brings alive Surf Excel's Daag Achhe Hain philosophy, is set amidst the Holi celebrations where a young girl chooses to get stained in Holi colours in order to protect her young friend. It ultimately suggests, ‘Agar kuch achha karne mein daag lag jaaye toh daag achhe hain.’

    Commenting on the campaign, Lowe Lintas regional creative officer Carlos Pereira said, “We felt the festival of Holi gave us the opportunity to highlight the true spirit of togetherness. By making colour the medium of oneness, we could seamlessly bring forth the larger thought of Rang Laaye Sang – a sentiment that kids truly believe in."

    Hindustan Unilever Ltd executive director – home care Priya Nair said, “Holi is one of our biggest festivals, celebrated with much fanfare across the country. However, in the midst of the fun and revelry, one can often forget the true spirit of the festival. The #RangLaayeSang campaign from Surf Excel beautifully captures how the colours of Holi can be a force for good, melting differences and bringing people together. It seamlessly brings to life our decade long ‘Dirt is Good’ philosophy – ‘Agar kuch accha karne mein daag lag jaaye, toh daag acche hain’.”

    The campaign will be live across TV, outdoor, and digital.

  • Geo-targeting eliminates ad wastage says Amagi’s Subramanian

    Geo-targeting eliminates ad wastage says Amagi’s Subramanian

    MUMBAI: The biggest chink in the armour of Indian advertising, which is also celebrated as India’s unique trait, is its heterogeneity. Its diverseness creates differences in dialect and lifestyle ever 110 kilometres. If taken in the right stride, it also opens up a range of opportunities for businesses.

    If a product is meant for a particular state, only the big companies can afford to conduct pan-India advertising. Smaller businesses that don’t have such deep pockets have an alternative in an upcoming technology of hyperlocal advertising. It lets you target people sharing a neighbourhood or ethnicity.

    During an interaction with indiantelevision.com, Amagi Media Labs co-founder Baskar Subramanian broadly discussed the advantages of regional and hyperlocal advertising. Soon turning 10, Amagi has grown from its modest base in Bengaluru to hold offices in New York, London and Hong Kong boasting of clients in 40 countries with 80 feeds.

    How do pan-India ads lack when it comes to regional areas?

    While pan India ads do convey what they should regionally do, but they never connect with the audience, as regionalisation today is the way forwards for the brand and consumer bonhomie i.e. If there is a Lalitaji endorsing Surf Excel in Haryana, there needs to be a Lalitaamma selling the same Surf Excel regionally across Udupi.

    Dhirubhai Ambani once said, “Money is lying in every street of India. One must know how to collect them!”, and so what really matters here, is going “To the bottom of the pyramid” by ensuring to go regional, and creating prosperity by pricing not the product but the customer, his aspiration and affordability (i.e.FMCG sachet’s or JIO’s offers).

    Would you like to share some successful regional ad campaigns?

    When you look at few of the award-winning regional campaigns from various national brands such as the “NaakaMukka’ of the Times of India, the ‘Ella okay, cool drink Yaake?’ campaign of the United Breweries, the Allu Arjun redBus campaign or the ‘my first train ride’ by Paper Boat, it takes us beyond the thought of just dubbing or adding regional subtitles to make things seem regional.

    The example of Dhirubhai Ambani strongly applies to brands advertising product categories and regions across, i.e. Tata Tea deciding to run the “Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re” nationally, while it goes on a price war with Wagh Bakri in Gujarat or Frito Lay holds a national campaign during IPL while decides to target Balaji Bhujia in Maharashtra and Gujarat. On the other end, we also have regional brands like Medimix and Cavinkare expand towards the northern market with value propositions suiting a region across Punjab or Haryana. Also, look at Horlicks, which promotes itself as a supplement to milk in Kolkata (perceived as a milk-deficient market), while in Chennai, it promised nutrition from wheat based drink, as the intake of wheat in the southern state is lower compared to the North. At the bottom, the real nationalisation of brands is now happening hyper locally across India.

    What are your thoughts on bringing cohesiveness in regional marketing spends by giving importance to local television?

    The regional channels’ advertising revenues are ascending with an increase in viewership year on year as compared to national channels. With the regional spread across DTH and cable, the plethora of regional platforms is on the rise. As per data from BARC India TV measurement system – regional GECs comprising of regional movies and regional music accounted for 38.99 per cent viewership share over a particular period(TG: All 4+, Market: All India, Period: Wk 41 to Wk47, 2016).

    Similarly, in Hindi speaking markets (HSM), GECs are the leading genre in regional markets as well with 29.6 per cent viewership share followed by regional movies with 6.6 per cent in 2016. Among the regional markets, Tamil channels occupy the biggest share with 25.7 per cent share in viewership and Telugu market is the second largest with 24.4 per cent viewership share.

    What are the factors to consider while customising budgets for regional targeted ad spends?

    The ad spends for regional advertising should focus more on tactical executions rather than intensive brand building activities. Though the increase in brand awareness cannot be neglected, the focus has to be on festival promotions, regional discounts, dealership level sales push and test marketing avenues to name a few, need to adequately have their share of targeted television expenses. In fact, brands like Patanjali and Reliance Jio have stabilised their ground through regional advertising across tier II and III cities. They are expected to increase their ad spends considering new product launches and price wars in the current and future.

    Has geo-targeted advertisement become the disruptor in television advertising ecosystem?

    Geo-targeted television advertising, is a new phenomenon in India which is disrupting the current television advertising eco system. Television, a medium with one of the highest penetration across India, suffers from limitations as being expensive and lacking measurability. With associations such as BARC, the share of reach and voice can be determined for brands advertising across categories, but the actual conversion of campaign effectiveness are miles away. Also with India’s diverse heterogeneous market coupled with varied regional preferences, TV was unable to singularly address this diversity. There were limited options for brands to target a specific market using TV, until today where platforms like Amagi Mix ensures a collection of channels, which helps advertisers decide their targeted television advertising, measure the effective reach and modify campaigns accordingly based on national or regional business requirements. By eliminating the spillage and wastage, geo-targeting justifies television spends.

    What opportunities exist for the collaboration between digital advertising spends with regional television advertising?

    The average young Indian spends around 2 hours 20 minutes on digital platforms every day. This is vastly expected to go up, considering the exponential rise in OTT viewership. Today over 300 million Indians commuting to work and back use OTT platforms on mobile phones, and while this audience is set to increase across rural and urban India, it has currently already crossed the population of United States of America.

    Hence, television advertising (comprises over 40 per cent of advertising viewership) coupled with personalised OTT and digital communications (12 per cent) together as a combination gives formidable marketing opportunities to brand managers of various sectors. These ensure targeted, high impact reach, bring in measurable results, and cost effectiveness for hyperlocal brand marketing.

  • Patanjali most advertised brand on television in week 33

    Patanjali most advertised brand on television in week 33

    BENGALURU: Baba Ramdev’s Patanajali Ayurved Limited has generally been among the top 10 television advertisers according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of Top 10 Advertiser *Across Genre : All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals during the first 33 weeks of 2017. It’s brand of products were the most advertised brands on television in week 33 (Saturday, 12 August 2017 to Friday, 18 August 2017) of 2013 as per Top 10 Brands *Across Genre: All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals. The Patanjali range of products were present on television 13,626  times (insertions) in week 33 of 2017.

    It must be noted that FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is by far the biggest advertiser on television in India– period. Its television ad insertions far exceed ad insertions by any other company. Four of its brands were present in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 most advertised brands in week 33 with combined ad insertions of 37,846.

    HUL’s beauty care brand Dove’s Dove Cream Bathing Bar was the second most advertised brand on television in week 33 with 10,324 insertions, followed by GlaxoSmithKline’s malted milk drink brand Horlicks with 10,248 insertions at third place. HUL’s toiletry and personal care brand Lux’s Lux Toilet Soap was the fourth most advertised brand in week 33 with 9,569 insertions followed by another HUL brand – toothpaste brand Closeup Ever Fresh with 9,431 insertions at fifth place.

    Bharti Airtel has been pushing its Airtel Postpoid Promise a lot over the few weeks on television. This Airtel product had the second highest insertions in the previous week (week 32) – 11,364 insertions. In week 33, Airtel Postpoid Promise was the sixth most advertised product with 9,187 followed by a product from banking and financial services  – the Axis Bank Credit/Debit Card with 8,993 ad insertions at seventh place.

    HUL’s detergent brand Surf Excel Easy Wash was the eight most advertised brand in on television week 33 of 2017 with 8,522 insertions  followed by television DTH brand Videocon D2h with 8,146 insertions. Reckitt Benckiser’s toilet cleaner brand Harpic 10X completed the list of top 10 brands on television with 8,092 insertions.

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  • Airtel Cellular continues as largest TV advertiser in week 46

    Airtel Cellular continues as largest TV advertiser in week 46

    BENGALURU: Airtel Phone Services (Airtel Cellular) has been the largest advertiser on television for 4 weeks in row, starting from BARC week 43 (22 October 2016 to 28 October 2016) until BARC week 46 (12 November 2016 to 18 November 2016).
    The brand had 9,229; 9,370; 10,387 and 9,444 spots or television ad insertions in BARC weeks 43; 44; 45 and 46 respectively, the highest during all the four weeks.

    It may be noted that BARC weeks 43,44 and 45 could be termed as festival or Diwali weeks for India in 2016, the period during and after which Airtel Cellular continues to top the charts. In weeks 41 (8 October 2016 to 14 October 2016) and 42, (15 October 2016 to 21 October 2016) food and confectionary brand Cadbury had topped the charts and stood at second place in week 40 (1 October 2016 to 7 October 2016).  Dettol had stood at the numero uno position in week 40.

    While Auto, jewellery and food brands have been conspicuous by their absence from the top ten brands list in terms of TV ad spots since week 45, the central government made an appearance at ninth (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) and tenth (Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation) places in list in week 46.  Please refer to Figure A below for data on the list of top 10 brands in terms of television ads (top 10list).

    public://BARC AD Week 46.jpg

    As indicated in the figure above, FMCG brands continue to rule the top ten list in week 46 with five brands and 51.80 percent of the sum of the insertions by the top 10 brands. FMCG was followed by two mobile services brands Airtel Cellular and Vodafone Flex (22.94 percent of the sum of the insertions by the top 10 brands. The Central government with two ministries among the top 10 list and with 16.38 percent of the sum of the insertions by the top 10 brands was next with the sole Online entry – Amazon.in with 6,536 insertions and 8.89 percent of the sum of the ad spots by the top 10 brands.

     

  • Airtel Cellular continues as largest TV advertiser in week 46

    Airtel Cellular continues as largest TV advertiser in week 46

    BENGALURU: Airtel Phone Services (Airtel Cellular) has been the largest advertiser on television for 4 weeks in row, starting from BARC week 43 (22 October 2016 to 28 October 2016) until BARC week 46 (12 November 2016 to 18 November 2016).
    The brand had 9,229; 9,370; 10,387 and 9,444 spots or television ad insertions in BARC weeks 43; 44; 45 and 46 respectively, the highest during all the four weeks.

    It may be noted that BARC weeks 43,44 and 45 could be termed as festival or Diwali weeks for India in 2016, the period during and after which Airtel Cellular continues to top the charts. In weeks 41 (8 October 2016 to 14 October 2016) and 42, (15 October 2016 to 21 October 2016) food and confectionary brand Cadbury had topped the charts and stood at second place in week 40 (1 October 2016 to 7 October 2016).  Dettol had stood at the numero uno position in week 40.

    While Auto, jewellery and food brands have been conspicuous by their absence from the top ten brands list in terms of TV ad spots since week 45, the central government made an appearance at ninth (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) and tenth (Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation) places in list in week 46.  Please refer to Figure A below for data on the list of top 10 brands in terms of television ads (top 10list).

    public://BARC AD Week 46.jpg

    As indicated in the figure above, FMCG brands continue to rule the top ten list in week 46 with five brands and 51.80 percent of the sum of the insertions by the top 10 brands. FMCG was followed by two mobile services brands Airtel Cellular and Vodafone Flex (22.94 percent of the sum of the insertions by the top 10 brands. The Central government with two ministries among the top 10 list and with 16.38 percent of the sum of the insertions by the top 10 brands was next with the sole Online entry – Amazon.in with 6,536 insertions and 8.89 percent of the sum of the ad spots by the top 10 brands.

     

  • Airtel Cellular had highest TV ad insertions during ’16 Diwali

    Airtel Cellular had highest TV ad insertions during ’16 Diwali

    BENGALURU: Diwali week in 2016 was week 44 – between Saturday, 29 October 2016 and Friday 4 November 2016. Airtel Cellular Phone Service (Airtel Cellular) was the top advertiser on television as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data of top 10 brands across genre: All India (U+R): 4+ Individuals with 9,370 insertions or spots. Further, Airtel Cellular also had the highest insertions in the week leading to and the after Diwali. For week 43, as per BARC data, Airtel Cellular topped the charts with 9,229 insertions and for week 45 with an even higher 10,387 insertions.

    A total number of 83,178; 72,073; and 74,513 ad insertions were shared by the top ten brands in terms of number of insertions per weekin weeks 43, 44 and 45 respectively. Please refer to figure A below for the top 10 brands in terms of TV ad spots.

    As is obvious, only FMCG, Mobile (including services) and online brands are in the top 10 list in terms of number of ad insertions in all the three weeks. Week 43 also saw a small presence from auto, jewellery and food brands while week 44 saw the exit of auto brands from the top 10 brands list in terms of number of ad insertions. Week 45 saw jewellery and food brands also exit from the list. Online brands tripled their presence in week 45 in number of brands to three from only one in weeks 43 and 44 as well as in terms of percentage of total number of insertions by the top 10 brands  from 9.29 percent and 9.1 percent in weeks 43 and 44 to 28 percent in week 45. Of note is the fact that Patanjali, which was consistently among the top 10 brands in terms of insertions during weeks 40,41 and 42, was absent from the lists in week 43, 44 and 45.

     

  • Airtel Cellular had highest TV ad insertions during ’16 Diwali

    Airtel Cellular had highest TV ad insertions during ’16 Diwali

    BENGALURU: Diwali week in 2016 was week 44 – between Saturday, 29 October 2016 and Friday 4 November 2016. Airtel Cellular Phone Service (Airtel Cellular) was the top advertiser on television as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data of top 10 brands across genre: All India (U+R): 4+ Individuals with 9,370 insertions or spots. Further, Airtel Cellular also had the highest insertions in the week leading to and the after Diwali. For week 43, as per BARC data, Airtel Cellular topped the charts with 9,229 insertions and for week 45 with an even higher 10,387 insertions.

    A total number of 83,178; 72,073; and 74,513 ad insertions were shared by the top ten brands in terms of number of insertions per weekin weeks 43, 44 and 45 respectively. Please refer to figure A below for the top 10 brands in terms of TV ad spots.

    As is obvious, only FMCG, Mobile (including services) and online brands are in the top 10 list in terms of number of ad insertions in all the three weeks. Week 43 also saw a small presence from auto, jewellery and food brands while week 44 saw the exit of auto brands from the top 10 brands list in terms of number of ad insertions. Week 45 saw jewellery and food brands also exit from the list. Online brands tripled their presence in week 45 in number of brands to three from only one in weeks 43 and 44 as well as in terms of percentage of total number of insertions by the top 10 brands  from 9.29 percent and 9.1 percent in weeks 43 and 44 to 28 percent in week 45. Of note is the fact that Patanjali, which was consistently among the top 10 brands in terms of insertions during weeks 40,41 and 42, was absent from the lists in week 43, 44 and 45.

     

  • Surf Excel celebrates Ramazan with #madadekibadat

    Surf Excel celebrates Ramazan with #madadekibadat

    MUMBAI: “Kisi ki madad karna bhi ek ibadat hai. Aur agar madad karne mein daag lag jaye, toh daag acche hai” — is the message Surf Excel is conveying in the holy month of Ramazan.

    The cute factor of Surf Excel campaigns with kids staining their clothes is something that we have always seen in its campaigns with the signature phrase ‘Daag Acche Hai’, but this time Surf Excel’s all new campaign has touched the chords of many hearts as innocent kids go out of their way to help an old samosa seller in need highlighting and bringing in #madadkiibadat.

    The advertisement tagged #madadekibadat has been conceptualised by Lowe Lintas and produced by Absolute Productions. It is shot in Old Delhi. The campaign has gone viral on digital platforms owing to its feel good factor. The advertisement is directed by Vasan Mala and music is by Hanif. It was released only on digital platforms on June 10. Apart from India, the campaign is garnering eyeballs in Pakistan as well; the brand is planning to launch the campaign internationally.

    “Surf Excel wished to create something with the divine feel of Ramadan, and the creative team of Lowe Lintas developed the story around it. We tried creating a story that people will connect to. We wanted to convey the true spirit of the holy month.” said Lowe Lintas CCO Arun Iyer.

    The 2 minutes 20 seconds video starts with three adorable kids celebrating Ramazan evening by breaking their fast at Iftaar. In between the celebrations, where some people just pass by a broken cart of an old samosa seller, the three kids decide to go out of their way and help the old man. In their shiny new kurtas, they pick the samosa cart and run around to sell them; and manage to bring smile on everyone’s faces leaving the strong message that the festival is about helping others. Their mother is shown in the end with a proud smile. After all, if you stain your clothes while helping someone, then stains are good; Daag Acche Hai.

    The vision came from pulling out a story that can touch viewer’s heart. The essence of the holy month of Ramazan is cleansing the souls and actions of people. The video reflects that perfectly – kids who could just carry on with their own evening, but instead decide to help an old man. That is a very strong message for people to realise that goodness and helping others is the true prayer. The makers of the video also explained that samosas and jalebis are very popular for Iftaar, which is another factor in developing a story like #madadekibadat.

    Ad campaigns have seen a turn over with digitalization where 30 seconds adverts have stretched to 1-2 minutes short films. There are many recent well received campaigns which have appealing stories to tell and emphasise on a message rather than just promoting the product in conventional ways. Brands have turned to narrating stories around the inspiration of the product, which can leave a greater impact on consumer. The same formula has worked for #madadekibadat campaign. The human emotion of helping in the holy month is what consumers are connecting with. Despite the hassle of cleaning stains, a mother is happy because of the gesture her child made.

    The agency seems very confident about the connection the story has with its viewers, and that the viewers will take it forward. It claims that the video had 21,000 shares and 142,586 views after going live.

    Commenting on the kids’ factor of Surf Excel advertisements, Iyer said, “The brand is planning to stick to children as they are the ones with most stained clothes. Even in the present campaign, both factors have connected the audiences with the goodness of the holy month and innocence of kids”.

    About making campaigns relevant to festivals, agency clarified it is not very focused on occasions but stories which will stay with people.

  • Surf Excel celebrates Ramazan with #madadekibadat

    Surf Excel celebrates Ramazan with #madadekibadat

    MUMBAI: “Kisi ki madad karna bhi ek ibadat hai. Aur agar madad karne mein daag lag jaye, toh daag acche hai” — is the message Surf Excel is conveying in the holy month of Ramazan.

    The cute factor of Surf Excel campaigns with kids staining their clothes is something that we have always seen in its campaigns with the signature phrase ‘Daag Acche Hai’, but this time Surf Excel’s all new campaign has touched the chords of many hearts as innocent kids go out of their way to help an old samosa seller in need highlighting and bringing in #madadkiibadat.

    The advertisement tagged #madadekibadat has been conceptualised by Lowe Lintas and produced by Absolute Productions. It is shot in Old Delhi. The campaign has gone viral on digital platforms owing to its feel good factor. The advertisement is directed by Vasan Mala and music is by Hanif. It was released only on digital platforms on June 10. Apart from India, the campaign is garnering eyeballs in Pakistan as well; the brand is planning to launch the campaign internationally.

    “Surf Excel wished to create something with the divine feel of Ramadan, and the creative team of Lowe Lintas developed the story around it. We tried creating a story that people will connect to. We wanted to convey the true spirit of the holy month.” said Lowe Lintas CCO Arun Iyer.

    The 2 minutes 20 seconds video starts with three adorable kids celebrating Ramazan evening by breaking their fast at Iftaar. In between the celebrations, where some people just pass by a broken cart of an old samosa seller, the three kids decide to go out of their way and help the old man. In their shiny new kurtas, they pick the samosa cart and run around to sell them; and manage to bring smile on everyone’s faces leaving the strong message that the festival is about helping others. Their mother is shown in the end with a proud smile. After all, if you stain your clothes while helping someone, then stains are good; Daag Acche Hai.

    The vision came from pulling out a story that can touch viewer’s heart. The essence of the holy month of Ramazan is cleansing the souls and actions of people. The video reflects that perfectly – kids who could just carry on with their own evening, but instead decide to help an old man. That is a very strong message for people to realise that goodness and helping others is the true prayer. The makers of the video also explained that samosas and jalebis are very popular for Iftaar, which is another factor in developing a story like #madadekibadat.

    Ad campaigns have seen a turn over with digitalization where 30 seconds adverts have stretched to 1-2 minutes short films. There are many recent well received campaigns which have appealing stories to tell and emphasise on a message rather than just promoting the product in conventional ways. Brands have turned to narrating stories around the inspiration of the product, which can leave a greater impact on consumer. The same formula has worked for #madadekibadat campaign. The human emotion of helping in the holy month is what consumers are connecting with. Despite the hassle of cleaning stains, a mother is happy because of the gesture her child made.

    The agency seems very confident about the connection the story has with its viewers, and that the viewers will take it forward. It claims that the video had 21,000 shares and 142,586 views after going live.

    Commenting on the kids’ factor of Surf Excel advertisements, Iyer said, “The brand is planning to stick to children as they are the ones with most stained clothes. Even in the present campaign, both factors have connected the audiences with the goodness of the holy month and innocence of kids”.

    About making campaigns relevant to festivals, agency clarified it is not very focused on occasions but stories which will stay with people.